


Friends protect each other

by emptysky_fallinstars



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Character Development, Developing Relationship, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Nightmares, One Shot, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 02:54:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17890157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emptysky_fallinstars/pseuds/emptysky_fallinstars
Summary: Hak sat up, gasping. His heart was beating out of his chest and andrenaline poured through his veins. Still shaking, he tried to see where the princess was, but his vision was blurry. His eyes were wet. Slowly, almost comically so, Hak realised he was crying. His panic and confusion mixed together sickeningly- he hardly ever cried, and he'd never felt like this before. Was he having a heart attack? Is this how he'd die, sat in a forest without a single enemy nearby?--Hak has always been Yona's protector, defeating any enemy that tries to hurt her. Most of the time, it's easy for him. But one night Hak wakes up feeling more helpless and vulnerable than he ever has been, and finds out Yona is even stronger than he thinks.





	Friends protect each other

**Author's Note:**

> publishing at 2:30am oof

_After so long without incident you've let your guard down, you've become complacent. Before you can do anything about it there are a hundred rogues surrounding you. Some kind of gang. There isn't a clear leader. You try to mow them down but for every one you kill ten more seem to pop up out of nowhere. Where are the dragons? Where's Yun? It's only you and her, hopelessly outnumbered. One small gap opens up between the circle of criminals and then she's running, running faster than you've ever seen her run, but there's no chance. They grab her by the hair, put their swords to her neck. They don't hesitate, one quick slice and she's on the ground. You sink to your knees. You could've done something, spotted them before the ambush, but instead you got cocky. And now the princess is dead. You've failed Mun-deok, you've failed King Il, and you've failed Yona. The princess is dead and it's all. Your. Fault. ___

__Hak sat up, gasping. His heart was beating out of his chest and andrenaline poured through his veins. Still shaking, he tried to see where the princess was, but his vision was blurry. His eyes were wet. Slowly, almost comically so, Hak realised he was crying. His panic and confusion mixed together sickeningly- he hardly ever cried, and he'd never felt like this before. Was he having a heart attack? Is this how he'd die, sat in a forest without a single enemy nearby?_ _

__But even through the layer of tears, it wasn't hard to spot fiery red hair, coming closer and closer. It was enough to calm him down, seeing the princess alive and okay. Not wanting her to worry, Hak quickly wiped his eyes and tried to look normal, but he could tell it was already too late._ _

__"Hak, are you okay?" She knelt down to face him, and tilted her head to one side. "Did you... did you have a nightmare?"_ _

__"I'm fine, princess. Go back to sleep." He tried to lie down again, ignoring the knots in his stomach and fast heart palpitations, but Yona stayed put, her expression kind but firm._ _

__"We've known each other as long as I can remember, Hak. Don't lie to me."_ _

___Well, fuck. _As ignorant as she was when she left the castle, and could occasionally be now, the princess was perceptive. There was no use trying to avoid the truth.__ _ _

____"I dreamt about us getting ambushed, and it worried me a little, that's all. But everyone's okay, so I'll be fine."_ _ _ _

____"You don't look fine," she insisted, taking hold of his hands. "Talking helps. Tell me what happened in your dream."_ _ _ _

____"And how exactly would you know what helps?" He couldn't help but shoot back. At this she averted her gaze, and fiddled with Hak's hands as she talked._ _ _ _

____"After Father died I got nightmares, too. A lot of them. You know that. But you probably didn't realise they never stopped. I still get them. Sometimes they're about Father, but sometimes it'll be about us getting into trouble, or an innocent person getting hurt. And... I don't just have nightmares. Sometimes I'll be wide awake, walking through a village or eating dinner and then my stomach will sink and my heart beats faster and faster and all I can think about is everything I've ever done wrong. I try to handle it all by myself, but it's _always _better when I talk to Yun about it. So talk to me about it and I'm sure _you'll _feel better." Hak couldn't help but gasp slightly, speechless at the princess' words. All this time she had been hurting and he hadn't even known it. Yona looked up at him with a look of determination, biting her bottom lip to stay calm. After what he'd learnt, he had to tell her._____ _ _ _

________"We..." He took a deep breathe, and despite it's rattle his heart-rate slowed ever so slightly. "We were surrounded by a gang, just us two. Everyone else was gone. I tried to fight them but there were too many and they overpowered me, and caught you. I couldn't do anything as they just-" The words stuck in his throat._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"What did they do, Hak?" Her voice was quiet, soft, but persistent. She practically whispered it, with wide eyes, fully focussed on his words. It somehow made what he was about to say worse._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"They... they slit your throat. They grabbed and killed you without a second thought. It was all my fault!" He almost spat out the last words, so bitter and _unspeakably angry _at himself. He began to shake again. It was as if he couldn't take in enough air. His breathing got quicker and quicker until he began to feel faint.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Hak!" Yona's voice felt farther and farther away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Suddenly, two hands cupped his face, hot and rough, not like a princess' should be. It was obvious she had just been practicing archery before she found what was supposed to be her _protector _hyperventilating and *crying*- why was he still crying?! Yona looked deeply into his eyes.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Hak, _breathe _," She commanded, her voice smooth and gentle against his ragged breaths. "Copy me." She took a deep breath in, and exhaled slowly. Again and again; slow and steady. Hak felt himself calm down, his heart beating slower and slower, the ground no longer swaying beneath him. He felt Yona's arms wrap around his neck, and heard her voice against his ear. "I've got you, Hak. I've got you." And with those three words, Hak felt like himself again.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Hak couldn't tell how long Yona's arms had been clasped around his neck, how long they'd been so close there was no space between them. It could have been seconds or hours. Regardless, Yona let go, and stood up to go to her bed. Being the _absolute dumbass _he was, he couldn't let her go without reaching out for her.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________"Princess, wait-"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________His hand grabbed desperately onto her wrist, and Yona turned around in surprise. For about the fiftieth time that night, the pair made eye contact, far too intimate than they wanted, but neither of them seemed able to help it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________"I'm sorry you had to see me like that. I hope... you aren't worried about me. That's all." But both of them could tell there was something else, something unspoken, that lay between them. They stayed staring at each other, frozen in place. At some point he had pulled Yona closer to him, or she leant back down, and there closeness was almost suffocating._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________It's was like almost sickening, how intimate it all was: two people staring intently into each others eyes, so close they could hear every breath, and feel each other's warmth. Hak still had his hands clasped around Yona's wrist. It would be so easy to pull her even closer, and let their lips meet, finally admitting the feelings he had refused to acknowledge for so long. But moments like these were common between him and Yona, a fact he didn't like to think about too hard. With a sigh, he let his grip loosen, and felt Yona gently pull her hand away. He had expected her to go back to her sleeping spot, resigned to let her go and attempt to get to sleep himself (an unlikely prospect), but he was surprised to find her plant herself right next to him, and lean her head into the crook of his neck. And, somehow more surprising, she broke the tense silence:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________"You don't have to feel bad for not being superhuman. I _know _it's your job to protect me, and I will never not be grateful for what you've done. But I'm here for you, Hak. I'm always here for you. We're friends; even if _you _don't think we are, even if you only think of yourself as a bodyguard, we will always be friends. You're always protecting me, but friends protect each other. Let me protect you. Even if it's only once." Her voice was slightly muffled, which was expected with her face in direct contact with his skin and clothes, but there was also a slight quiver to it._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Yona was crying._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Hak turned his head down towards her, and nudged her slightly. "Always crying, aren't you? I thought after your insistence on learning to use a sword and a bow and arrow you'd toughen up a little." Couldn't have a moment with Hak and not be even a little bit insulted. It was his specialty. His tone _was _different this time, though. It was quiet, and surprisingly gentle.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Yona looked up with shiny eyes, and faced a phenomenon she never thought she'd see: Hak was smiling. He had smiled before, of course, but it was always slightly cocky, always with a more serious edge to it. But, at that moment, as he looked down on his friend, Hak could have almost been a different person, with gentle eyes, softer than she'd ever seen them. Yona couldn't help but stare as the boy, usually so cold and stony, looked at her like she was the most incredible thing in the world. It was hard not to think about how he'd not given this look to anyone but her, and even harder not to feel good about it. She tried to burn the image into her memory as best she could, making every second count, knowing Hak would be soon to cover the look with his usual smirk, or blank expression._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________And, sure enough, the moment ended far sooner than Yona would have liked. His eyes widened slightly, and his lips parted in shock, as if he didn't even realise what was happening until right at that moment. He quickly turned his head away, choosing to stare at the swarms of trees that surrounded them. Yona tensed, preparing for Hak's warm and steady presence to disappear and for him to go to bed without another word But he didn't move away; he slowly leant his head onto hers and closed his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"Thank you, Yona."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing and publishing a full story on ao3 and I really hope you enjoyed it! 
> 
> Comments and kudos are very much appreciated ✨


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